Electric psychic powers discipline

3 posts in this topic

Psykers are my favorite class and I've never played anything else so far.

Lately I was brainstorming to create a new discipline - I mean, we have a Fire one, right? While it would be dumb to turn DH into D&D and go for all elements, electric discipline, imho, fits. It's cool for shutting down surveillance systems and/or manipulating them, stunning opponents for rounds, torturing (hello, grimdark), mocking your fellow techpriest by spiking him with a few hundred Volts after he pretended being Dart Sidious with his "ABSOLUTE POOOOOOWER!" Luminen implants show off, etc.

I've finished a rough version of electric powers today. Seems like I created some kind of support AoE priest/rogue, lol. Some of the powers are converted from existing psychic powers, but some are unique to the system. I would love to receive feedback and ideas on what to implement or throw out.

Also, I personally don't like the 8th Teleportation power, because it is the only one I almost plainly copied. I wish to change it to something, but I am out of ideas. Help?

Thanks in advance.

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1. Jolted touch, Touch, 1d10+PR, Pen 0, Shocking

Cost: 100 xp

Prerequisite: WP 35

Action: Half Action

Focus Power: Ordinary (+10) Willpower test

Range: Touch

Subtype: Attack

The psycker can Shock his opponents and overcharge small devices and machines to shut them down upon touch.

2. Lightning, Psychic barrage, 1d10+PR, Pen 2, Shocking

Cost: 200 xp

Prerequisite: WP 35

Action: Half Action

Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower test

Range: 10mxPR

Subtype: Attack

The psyker can burn his opponents with electricity pouring from his hands. Small and medium devices and machines shut down for half-PR rounds upon hit.

During combat, the psyker casts an additional bolt into a random enemy for every 2 DoS.

3. Static dome

Cost: 300 xp

Prerequisite: WP 40

Action: Half Action

Focus Power: Difficult (-10) Willpower test

Range: 10mxPR

Dome range: 2mxPR

Sustained: Half Action

Subtype: Concentration

The psyker focuses his control over electricity in the air and whirls it to create a dome. Any working gear, machine or device that enters the dome is immediately shut down for 1 round (without save). It starts working upon leaving the dome or when the dome dissappears.

The psyker obscures his allies or himself from their foes’ senses. Though eyes and other senses do not detect them, their minds can perceive them by rolling an Awareness (-20) check and noticing the sound of crackling air. This power grants a Shocking (PR) value for a single melee or ranged attack to the affected person that ignores armour. For the duration of the power, the target counts having the Stealth skill at Known (rank 1), and gains a bonus to Stealth tests equal to +5 times the psyker’s psy rating. Additionally, all ranged attacks made against the target suffer a penalty equal to –5 times the psyker’s psy rating. If the target moves beyond the power’s range, he loses this power’s benefits.

The psyker focuses his mind on a location and whirls air into a dense round electricity charge, which light fades after 5 seconds upon cast. Any enemy that stays closer (or in range) than reversed PR meters (PR1=5meters, PR2=4meters, PR3=3meters, PR4+=2meters) from the trap rolls an Awareness (-10) check to hear and notice the distorted transparent crackling air around the trap.

The psyker cannot voluntarily stop sustaining this power. Instead, at the beginning of each turn the psyker is sustaining the trap, he must make a Challenging (+0) Willpower test with a –10 penalty for each metre in the trap’s current radius. If he passes the test, he may perform one of the following actions:

• Increase the traps' trigger range by one metre.

• Decrease the traps' trigger range by one metre.

• Increase the traps' blast radius by one metre.

• Decrease the traps' blast radius by one metre.

If the psyker fails the Willpower test to sustain the trap or if he is unable to make the test due to other circumstances, he rolls a Willpower (Ordinary +0) check. The trap sets off upon failing or vanishes upon success.

Anyone staying in the 5xPR radius from the trap must take a Toughness (-10) check or become deafened and Stunned for half-PR rounds.

6. Electromagnetic manipulation

Value: 300 xp

Prerequisite: Psy rating 4, WP 45

Action: Half Action

Focus Power: Hard (–20) Willpower test

Range: 5 metres x PR

Sustained: Full Action

Subtype: Sustained (Self), Concentration

The psyker can manipulate electromagnetic fields to levitate himself or targets of his choice. A target of psyker's choice or every alive creature (including psyker) and metal object in 2mXPR rise into the crackling air up up to 1d5 meters up.

While active, the range of this Psychic Power works as a Haywire Field.

7. Thunderstorm, Psychic blast

Value: 400 xp

Prerequisite: WP 50

Action: Half Action

Focus Power: Hard (–20) Willpower test

Range: 5 metres x psy rating

Sustained: Half Action

Subtype: Sustained, Concentration

The psyker focuses his will to create a thunderstorm to smite his enemies and make them bend before the Emperor.

This power is a Psychic Blast with a radius of 2 metres + the Degrees of Success on the Focus Power Test. Anyone caught within the area of effect suffers 1d10+7 E Damage with a Pen(PR) quality and the Shocking (3) quality, and must take a Pinning test.

8. Electron teleportation

Value: 400 xp

Prerequisite: Psy rating 5

Action: Extended Action (2)

Focus Power: Very hard (–30) Willpower test

Range: 10 metres x psy rating

Sustained: No

Subtype: Concentration

The psyker chooses a point anywhere within 5 metres times his psy rating, and opens a gate to the Immaterium at that point.

The gate lasts for a number of rounds equal to the psyker’s psy rating, and has a radius in metres equal to the psyker’s psy rating as well. For the duration of the power, the two sides of the gate are linked, and any person or objects may pass between them freely provided they can fit through the gate.

Anyone caught in the gate is affected by Haywire Field.

This power is incredibly taxing and requires at least 12 hours of recovery before it may be used again.

9. Petrifying light, Psychic barrage, 1d10+PR, Shocking, Pen(PR)

Value: 500 xp

Prerequisite: WP 55, Psy rating 5

Action: Full Action

Focus Power: Very hard (–30) Willpower test

Range: 20mXPR

Subtype: Concentration, Attack

The psyker is capable of draining the very bioelectricity from their foes, dropping the enemy to the ground, cold and inert as stone.

If the accumulated power is not discharged after the cast, the psyker will need to wait for the electricity to release itself during the next PR hours and roll a Hard (-20) Toughness test for every target or gain 1 Fatigue level.

During combat, the psyker casts an additional bolt into a random enemy for every 2 DoS.

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The Angels of Death book brought out a handful of generic 'new' disciplines for Space Marines (because #Space Marines Get Everything, Why Aren't You Playing Space Marines?). Chaos marines got a matching set of disciplines (with the same powers renamed, so Geokinesis discipline became Geomortis discipline for example).

These were:

Technomancy - psychic 'attunement' to technology that let you heal/disable vehicles, weapons and so on.

Subvert Machine - Does exactly what it says on the tin. See that turret mount on your tank? I'm firing it for a change.

Blessing of the Machine - Your gun is more better now! Improves accuracy/reliability/whatever

Electrodisplacement - teleport, but pointedly 'swaps' one individual or group with another rather than just teleporting you to empty space.

I'd recommend matching the 'existing' titles and discipline name.

Anyway; the powers you've posted

On ‎15‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 6:45 PM, vichn said:

1. Jolted touch, Touch, 1d10+PR, Pen 0, Shocking

Hmm.

It's pretty awful, isn't it? 1D10+PR is going to be notably less than just thumping someone with a club unless you're at least Psy rating 4, or are prepared to push the power (as a psychic power it won't automatically add strength bonus unless you tell it to). Yes, all right, shocking, but compare this to thwacking someone with a shock maul.

I would make this Fists Of Lightning - I'd recommend adding PR to damage (and maybe pen) of unarmed attacks, and granting them shocking, plus maybe adding some sort of 'extra-damage-if-you-hit' mechanic a la Toxic (X) or Force.

On ‎15‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 6:45 PM, vichn said:

Lightning, Psychic barrage, 1d10+PR, Pen 2, Shocking

Damage is respectable for a ranged power (PR3 makes it equivalent to a lasgun) with a small-but-respectable pen value and the Barrage subtype so a decent psyker can throw out a lot of shots. Fair enough. Electrosurge? Might even suggest making it a bit weaker and upgrading it to a Psychic Storm (full auto analogue)

On ‎15‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 6:45 PM, vichn said:

Static dome

Definitely Electroshield. I'm not sure about the oddly specific provisions for the armour bonus; if it works against shrapnel from grenades, for example, why wouldn't it stop buckshot from a shotgun? I'd make it work against any 'solid object' (so any Solid Projectile, Primitive, Bolt, or Launcher) weapon - by comparison, if I can still see you, and you can still see me, a lasbolt should hit you just fine.

The range seems a bit much. If it's a shield, I'd have it be centred on you, and PR metres is probably enough.

By all means give it a haywire effect - but as listed it's better than haywire, which seems wrong, especially since you can throw the effect 20 or 30 metres away.

On ‎15‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 6:45 PM, vichn said:

Electromagnetic cloak

Interesting ability. I'm more than happy to see a Fulmination 'stealth' power (suggest stealing The Shrouding from the Daemonhunter sourcebook?) but casually adding a shocking melee attack with the Warp Weapon trait (ignores all armour, up to and including best craftsmanship Heavy Power Armour) is NOT something you can add as a 'side bonus'. No Fulmination equivalent, so keep the name.

Centre it on yourself and it's Electropulse. It seems a fairly convoluted ability given that it's not all that useful; it's a WP-10 ability to manifest, and unless you just manifest it directly on top of someone (which, lets be honest, is what you'd do) it isn't all that great - it's visible on the round it appears, and maintaining it needs a WP-10 check every turn and you to stay within 20 or 30 metres. I'd just stick with a one-turn psychic nova centred on you.

On ‎15‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 6:45 PM, vichn said:

Electromagnetic manipulation

Magnetokinesis. works in theory, but unless you can move the target (other than just levitating it a couple of metres up and holding it there) it's not massively useful. Rather than putting a radius on it, I'd give it a 'weight limit' related to the PR - so a novice can lift a few metal objects whilst a Primaris can play Magneto and throw groundcars and light armoured vehicles around.

On ‎15‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 6:45 PM, vichn said:

Thunderstorm

Lightning Arc. A Psychic Blast for 'arcing between nearby targets' is a decent match in mechanics.

On ‎15‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 6:45 PM, vichn said:

This power is a Psychic Blast with a radius of 2 metres + the Degrees of Success on the Focus Power Test. Anyone caught within the area of effect suffers 1d10+7 E Damage with a Pen(PR) quality and the Shocking (3) quality, and must take a Pinning test.

This is seriously nasty - 1D10+7 pen 3 is 'light support weapon' territory, which is nasty, but you're delivering it to potentially a huge area - 6 metres or more across. I'd probably model this with a Psychic Barrage, though, if it's going to be this powerful - so you'll get hits but not too many.

Also - slightly weird fixed damage - meaning that initially it's massively better than lightning bolts but could subsequently end up being worse. I'd probably make it 2D10+PR - more potential damage, more chances for righteous fury, but still scaling with the psyker's power.

On ‎15‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 6:45 PM, vichn said:

Electron teleportation

Electrodisplacement. I'm not sure I understand this as listed - you only talk about creating one 'gate', and since it's going into the immaterium, it having a haywire effect is the least of your worries if you're caught in it!

I think the 40k 'swap places with someone you can see' is a nice, interesting effect.

On ‎15‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 6:45 PM, vichn said:

Petrifying light, Psychic barrage, 1d10+PR, Shocking, Pen(PR)

For the 'ultimate power', it's not actually all that powerful, is it? What do I get from this that I don't get from Lightning (aside from tazering myself with accumulated power)?

Ultimately, not sure this one is needed - you've got a 'zap' power, a 'zapzapzap' power, and a 'ka-zap' area power; given DH's nice mechanic of scaling range and damage with the power and attitude of the caster, you don't really need a fourth unless it does something specific (draining life energy feels like it should help me heal wounds and/or recover fatigue?)

Other observation; None of your powers reference one another as prerequisites. The way DH2 works is that one power (in this case I guess Jolted Touch/Fists Of Lightning) is the 'entry level' power and all the others follow on in a tree. Would suggest: